Learn Blockchain | Best Baggage Handling System in Your Airport

Learn Blockchain

Created on: January 18, 2019

Updated on: January 18, 2019

One of the areas in the aviation sectors that gets a lot of stick so as to say is the baggage handling operations at airports. A number of years ago I used to travel occasionally to far flung places. When you get off a very long flight you are tired and you look worn out or worse for wear. You go to the baggage collection area and you don’t see you bag on the carousel.

This is one of the most frustrating aspects of air travel because you cannot guarantee that your bag will arrive at your destination and the reasons behind this are relatively complex.

How do we fix it?

One of the major questions that I will ask is that how can this be fixed?

As we all know the blockchain is a decentralised system that stores items on a distributed ledger or in other words an inventory. The baggage system within an airport is by its very essence it is a centralised system so how can we break down the operations within the baggage operations airside in to one that is essentially decentralised.

Centralised Systems & Baggage Allowances

The system that we currently have in the UK is very hierarchical and the actors within it are the workers and the management. The management are above the workers and one of the goals of a decentralised system is to create a system in which the workers and the management are essentially at the same level.

I can only speculate here, we need to set up a system under a series of nodes and at each node there are a series of operators or actors. These actors are responsible for their own area.

A few weeks ago, I watched a really good documentary at the busiest airport in the world which is Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport. The way the infrastructure was laid out was truly incredible and inspiring and very futuristic. I have been to Atlanta Hartsfield Airport many years ago and I didn’t realise the sheer scale and size of the operation.

Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport

The airport is ideal for this concept. It is divided in to decentralised nodes or zones and the actors within these zones are responsible for their part of the airport. The layer of management looking after this airport tend to have a more holistic point of view because they can see the entire system working in tandem and they can drill down to the various zones or nodes to see the work in progress.

Decentralised Systems & Blockchain Technology

At the moment in the UK I cannot think of an airport arrangement that is modelled on a decentralised model and this is because the UK is the most centralised country in the world. This means that most organisations are extremely hierarchical and controlling one example of this was the opening of Heathrow Terminal 5 a number of years ago where the terminal was unable to handle the volume of baggage on its launch day.

I really do think that if any UK airport was to undergo this type of transformation it will be difficult and disruptive and this why we tend to tweak systems instead of transforming them for the better.

Does this resonate with you ?
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